Accountability:
We are accountable to our community for the services that we provide and for the management of the facility.

Quality:
We value excellence in our customer service, collections and programs, and promote innovation and creativity in our library.

Collaboration and Partnership:
We believe in working with others to serve our community.

Information and Literacy:
We believe in the importance of an informed and literate community.

Intellectual Freedom:
We encourage the free exchange of information and ideas.

Diversity:
We value and celebrate the diversity of interests, perspectives and cultures in our community. We treat all people with respect and dignity.

Love of Reading:
We nurture the joy of reading for community members of all ages.

Priority Service Responses as identified by the Community Planning Committee.

These four service responses were the ones that were within the highest priority list as identified by our Community Planning Committee. We will be focusing our Plan of Service on these four areas with some integration between the responses.

Satisfy Curiosity:
Lifelong Learning
Residents will have the resources they need to explore topics of personal interest and continue to learn throughout their lives.

Goal 1:Adults will have the resources they need to explore topics of personal interest and continue to grow and learn throughout their lives.

Objective: By 2016 the number of adults with library cards will have increased by 15%.
Activity: Distribute free 3 month membership coupons at many events, programs and functions.
Activity: Promote the library through informational presentations to local groups. (i.e. Newcomers Club).
Activity: Partnering with local recreational and sports groups at least once a year to promote library services.
Activity: Promote Library Month through the insertion of a free membership coupon in all the editions of the local newspaper (Western Wheel) during October.

Objective: The circulation of adult print and non-print collections will increase by 10% each year.
Activity: Increase the TRAC wide Overdrive e-book collection by donating some funds from the regular book sales to the Marigold Library System.
Activity: Displaying more book and audio-visual material relevant to the themes of the scheduled programs.
Activity: Increase the awareness of our social media pages.

Objective: Each year there will be at least a 10% increase in adult program attendance.
Activity: Utilizing Facebook more for the advertising of upcoming programs, and adding online registration ability to our website.
Activity: Boost exposure of our programs by investigating and finding new avenues for promotion.

Goal 2: The Okotoks Public Library will become a destination of choice for community youth.

Objective: Each year at least 15% of teen library users will attend an interactive, educational, or personal interest program.
Activity: Create and maintain a teen Facebook page that promotes and provides information on news, programs, events, and material relevant to this age group.
Activity: Partner further with local teen groups and educational institutions.
Activity: Visit places where youth connect to actively listen to, and seek information about what they want from the library.
Activity: Host at least three programs of interest to teens each year.

Objective: By 2015 the circulation of non-fiction teen level materials will increase by 15%.
Activity: Increase displays and promotion of non-fiction materials (both print and non-print).
Activity: Ensure that there are materials on display that correlate with the themed programs (i.e. books on make-up when a make- up workshop is being held).

Goal 3: Each year the library will conduct research to ensure that our programs, materials and services enrich our customers’ experience.

Objective: Each year at least 70% of users will indicate that the materials, programs and services available to satisfy their curiosity - were wonderful.
Activity: The library will conduct semi-annual surveys to gauge the level of satisfaction, and to collect feedback from patrons.
Activity: Create and monitor an online suggestion box on our website.

Objective: By 2016 overall circulation will have increased by 10%.
Activity: Promote specific collections and sections in-house with visually descriptive and informational posters on shelving ends (i.e. a poster of someone knitting where the knitting books are).
Activity: Develop and implement book themed programs for all ages.
Activity: Increase one on one personal servicing both at the desk and in a roaming capacity within the library.

Support family literacy:
This is a combination of two responses:Create Young Readers: Early Literacy + Learn to read and write: Adult, Teen and Family Literacy.
Residents will have the support, material and programs that they need to improve their literacy skills.

Goal 1: Children aged 0-17 will have materials, programs and services to assist them to enter and progress through school ready and able to read and learn.

Objective: Beginning in 2012, 70% of parents and caregivers will annually indicate that their children have borrowed materials and used resources that have helped to develop their ability and interest in schooling and learning. Teens may be surveyed separately for their input.
Activity: Expand library tour services to include older grades in the public and private systems, as well as in the home schooling groups.
Activity: Engage in outreach services to the schools to promote the library’s collections and services with emphasis on the Alberta curriculum.
Activity: Create and maintain a preschool web page that directly relates to Storytime themes and programs through promotion of collection and resources used.

Objective: Each year at least 80% of parents, caregivers and teens will say that the programs available for children aged 0-17 (i.e. TAG, Summer Reading Program, Storytime, Family Fun and Toddler Time) have definitely furthered their literacy.
Activity: Create and implement craft programs and resources to aid parents and caregivers in the teaching of preschool literacy skills.
Activity: Offer a minimum of 6 individual juvenile programs annually.
Activity: Investigate opportunities for literacy based program outreach for ages 0-17.

Objective: The circulation of items in the children’s sections (Easy, Juvenile and Youth) will increase by 10% each year.
Activity: Promote and actively maintain an e-book collection for these sections.
Activity: Increase the diversity of formats and options in the children’s collections.
Activity: Ensure there are materials on display that are relevant to, and enhance, the children’s programs.

Goal 2: The library will maintain and enhance its ESL, adult literacy, and foreign language materials, and actively promote access to language learning media and e-resources.

Objective: Each year the library will increase the formats and materials that are of an ESL level and interest by 10%.
Activity: Investigate avenues to fulfill this objective.
Activity: Fundraise through the Friends of the Library to help fund the purchase of these materials.

Objective: Partnering with organizations that support this demographic in the Foothills area will increase by 20% by the year 2016.
Activity: Host at least one multicultural event per year.
Activity: Investigate partnering with Literacy for Life to provide ESL tutoring in the library facility.
Activity: Offer library tours to newcomer groups in the area.

Objective: Use of e-resource language learning software (i.e. Mango) will increase proportionately each year.
Activity: Promote further to increase the use and knowledge of this software.
Activity: Provide scheduled interactive in-house assistance on this software.

Goal 3: The library will promote the benefits of reading to young children, and offer assistance in how best to use the children’s sections of the library.

Objective: By 2016 the number of preschoolers attending literacy based programs at the library will have increased by 15%.
Activity: Increase and diversify types of preschool literacy programs at the library.
Activity: Maintain current partnerships with family based organizations, and determine new partnerships.

Objective: Each year at least 75% of parents who attend workshops that teach the importance of family literacy, will state that these workshops have been educational.
Activity: Partner with stakeholder groups to develop and implement parent educational programs that emphasize the importance of early childhood literacy.

Objective: The library will provide materials that will excite and show patrons the importance of literacy. Annually surveyed, 85% of patrons will express satisfaction with the library’s collections and services.
Activity: Develop displays that promote the importance of early literacy, and display and promote use of our materials within all our programs.
Activity: Increase “storybox” collections by a minimum of two per year, and create mini literacy kits as a new format.
Activity: Purchase new types of literacy based materials.

Stimulate Imagination:
Reading, Viewing, and
Listening for Pleasure
Residents will have materials and programs to enhance their leisure time and will have the help they need to make choices from among the options.

Goal 1:Okotoks Public Library will strive to keep abreast of the latest technology and current trends in order to attract new users and retain existing ones.

Objective: Each year the library will introduce patrons to at least one new item/format of technology.
Activity: The library will investigate and purchase at least one item/format per year that responds to current technological trends relevant to public library services.
Activity: The library will present workshops for the public to educate them on the use of new and existing technology.

Objective: Utilization of technology by staff members to assist patrons to effectively and efficiently find and use materials will increase annually by 25%.
Activity: The library will produce and post online at least 4 short informational videos or similar visual aids per year.
Activity: Regular staff training opportunities to educate the staff in how to utilize technology to develop visual aids.

Goal 2: Patrons will have exposure to materials, programs and services in a variety of formats that will stimulate the senses.

Objective: Each year 70% of adult and young adult patrons surveyed will indicate appreciation of visual artwork and performing arts presentations.
Activity: Partner with local school art programs to showcase students’ creativity.
Activity: Actively promote art displays and events to the community using all means of advertising.

Objective: Each year the library will broaden its adult programming portfolio to include at least two creative and remarkable presentations.
Activity: The library will approach hereto untapped organizations of interest to present to the community (i.e. Cargill, Rowan House, Edmonton Institution for Women).

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Activity: Workshops that correlate various ideas and groups will be developed to enhance and stimulate thought (i.e. “Beyond the Book” book club).

Objective: By 2013 at least 30% of adults and young adults surveyed will indicate that they have used a listening station to preview audio-visual material.
Activity: Develop and implement two listening stations.
Activity: Promote, instruct and maintain these listening stations.